Genesis 3:19

WITH THE SWEAT OF THOU BROW SHALL THOU EAT BREAD

by: Rabbi Zushe Blech

The Jewish community of Montreal is blessed with an abundance of Kosher products from which to choose. Given modern
methods of transportation and distribution, Montrealers can enjoy Kosher foods manufactured in the farthest parts of the world.
Such a cornucopia notwithstanding, certain basic foodstuffs must still be produced locally. Fresh dairy products and breadstuffs
form underpinnings of a thriving community, and Montreal is blessed with a number of local manufacturers satisfying the needs
of the community with a bounty of fresh dairy and bakery products. The ease with which these products may be purchased,
however, belies the hard work that the MK and the Vaad Horabonim expend to ensure that they indeed meet the highest levels of
Kashrus demanded by the Kosher community. An inside look at recent efforts by the to certify several large, national bakery
chains should afford us with a better understanding of the efforts and standards of the , and highlight the important Kashrus
concerns that are addressed.

References to bread as the symbol of human sustenance can be found in the
earliest sources. When Hashem sought to punish Adam for his first
transgression, He chose to use bread as the vehicle, and the appellation as The
Staff of Life is actually based upon a phrase in Isaiah (3:1). Chazal
recognized bread as the central part of a meal, and hence regarded all food
eaten in a meal with bread as being Tafel – secondary – to it and included in
the Bracha of Hamotzei Lechem Min Ha’Aretz. Although we may tend to eat less
bread than our forefathers, it nonetheless maintains a central place in Halacha
and, as we shall see, its importance as a symbol of civilization was also of
great significance to Chazal.

Although the variety of bread is virtually limitless, we generally consider
bread to be dough made from flour, water, and yeast, which is then baked. The
Kashrus concerns with bread can be divided into the following categories:
Ingredients, equipment, and several special rules that are unique to bread (see
below). Of the basic ingredients used to make bread, the flour used for
Canadian bread is predominantly wheat. While wheat is inherently Kosher, a
Kashrus issue called Yoshon should be noted. In the times of the Bais
Hamikdash, a special offering called the Omer was brought on the second day of
Pesach, and one was not permitted to eat from the new crop of grain until this
sacrifice was brought. The new crop was called Chodosh (“new”), while the grain
from the previous year was called Yoshon (“old”), and one could only eat Yoshon
until after the Omer was brought. The Gemorah tells us, however, that when the
Bais Hamikdash is not standing, all Chodosh becomes permitted as soon as the
second day of Pesach passes (the day of the Omer), even if the Korban Omer is not brought.
The status of grain grown today depends on when it is planted. For
example, winter wheat is planted and begins to grow before the winter. Although
it is not harvested until the middle of the summer (well after Pesach), it is
nonetheless permitted after the second day of Pesach since it had already begun
to grow. Spring wheat, however, as well as many types of oats, are planted
after Pesach has begun, and thus do not enjoy the benefit of the day of the
Omer. As such, spring wheat may pose a Kashrus concern. Halachik authorities,
however, differ as to whether this prohibition applies to grain outside of
Eretz Yisroel, and the prevailing custom among most Jews living outside of
Israel is to be lenient. As such, the MK (as well as most other Kashrus
organizations) certifies bread and other products that contain Chodosh grain.
There is, however, a significant segment in the community that wishes to be
Machmir and avoid the use of Chodosh, and for that reason many of our local
bakeries make a great effort to use only Yoshon flour all year long. Such
bakeries and products are clearly marked as Yoshon, and the MK takes a leading
role in ensuring that such products are available.

In order to cause bread to attain its classical form – and not turn into
Matzah – it must be leavened. Leavening is the process where yeast spores
ferment the grain, causing the sugars found in the dough to be converted into
carbon dioxide, causing the bread to rise. In the olden days, leavening was
made by allowing dough to ferment naturally, and then using small amounts of
heavily fermented dough to leaven new batches of bread. This material is called
Se’or (in English it is called “sour”), and is the ingredient that gives
certain types of bread (e.g. rye bread) their tangy taste. Most bread today,
however, uses commercially processed pure yeast, which is grown on molasses.
Large bakeries will use fresh active yeast, while the yeast often purchased for
home use comes as a dried product that does not require refrigeration. Both
require a reliable Kosher certification, since the food used to feed the yeasts
may contain non-Kosher ingredients. Another Kashrus concern specific to dried
yeast stems from the use of certain fats and oils to protect the yeast spores
during the drying process. It is therefore imperative that the consumer insists
on a reliable Kosher certification for this product.

Although many types of bread use no fats or oils, many modern types of bread
do contain them. In addition, they can be used to grease the pans in which the
bread is baked, ensuring that it will not stick. Oils and shortenings may be of
animal origin, or may be processed in equipment that is also used for animal
fats. Such ingredients clearly require a reliable Kosher certification, and for
this reason one should be concerned with the Kosher status of oils and fats for
all types of bread.

Aside from ingredient issues, the equipment used to bake bread poses serious
Kosher concerns. When establishing a new Hashgacha in a bakery, one must Kasher
the equipment that had been used to make the non-Kosher products. While
Kashering equipment may often be accomplished with boiling water (Hagolah),
such a process is only effective for pots and pans that were used to cook foods
in liquids. Sheet pans, bread pans and oven shelves on which bread is baked
directly can only be Kashered with a process called Libun, where the metal is
heated until all non-Kosher residue in the metal has been burned out. This
requirement poses significant difficulties for factories in their efforts to
make Kosher products, but the MK demands full adherence to the Halacha. Sheet
pans, which are generally made of aluminum, cannot be Kashered with Libun, and
must be replaced. Steel bread pans, as well as steel oven shelves on which
bread is baked directly, must be sent to a metalworking facility, where they
are placed in a kiln and heated to over 1000 F. While these requirements may
seem onerous, they serve to ensure that the Hashgacha of the bread in Montreal
meets the highest Kashrus requirements.

In addition to ingredient and equipment issues, two special rules governing
bread must be addressed in order to be granted an MK Hashgacha. First, Chazal
were concerned that bread not be a source of mixing meat and dairy products,
especially since it was the mainstay of the meal. Chazal therefore ordained
that all bread be Pareve – contain no meat or dairy ingredients, thereby
ensuring that one would not inadvertently eat a dairy bread with a meat meal.
From this perspective, bread is unique, for even if all of the ingredients in a
loaf of bread are Kosher, the bread would still be considered non-kosher if it
contained either Kosher dairy or Kosher meat ingredients. In modern bakeries,
however, this creates a significant problem, since one of the basic ingredients
in classic “white bread” is milk. Indeed, a special variety of white bread
called “milk bread” must contain 6% milk by Provincial decree! In order to
resolve this problem, the MK requires that all bread certified as Kosher must
be Pareve, as well as all equipment used to bake it. [It should be noted that
this Halacha applies only to regular bread and not to cake, and may not apply
if the bread is baked in a particularly irregular shape and in small amounts,
thereby making its dairy or meat status obvious.]

Another rule peculiar to bread concerns Pas Yisroel. Chazal instituted a
number of rules surrounding the types of food that may be eaten in order to
maintain the uniqueness of Jewish culture. Bread was recognized as the most
basic food, and throughout history Chazal indicated a preference that Kosher
bread be baked by Jews – Pas Yisroel. Daniel abstained from the king’s bread
(Daniel 1:8), and the Talmud thereby deduces that Daniel was the first to
require Pas Yisroel (Avodah Zarah 36a). As we have noted, however, bread is a
necessary staple, and recognizing that Pas Yisroel might not always be
available, Chazal allowed for the use of bread baked by a non-Jewish baker when
necessary (see Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 112). While the concept for Pas Yisroel was
not made obligatory, it is nonetheless deemed especially meritorious to eat
only Pas Yisroel whenever possible. [A common Minhag mentioned in Shulchan
Aruch is to require the use of Pas Yisroel during the ten days between Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur as a sign of special holiness. Indeed, some authorities are of the opinion that this custom applies equally to
Shabbos.] Pas Yisroel can be effected by having a Jew light a small fire in the oven, thereby creating his involvement in
the baking process, and the MK has a policy to ensure that all bread sold under its Hashgacha complies with
this stringency. To this end, we ensure that a special heating element or fire
in the oven is lit by the Mashgiach and remains on at all times, thereby
affording Pas Yisroel to the community.

The Talmud (Berachos 8a) notes that one who derives benefit from eating from
his own labor enjoys a special blessing, as it states – On the one hand, we eat bread by the
sweat of our brow, but the efforts put into ensuring the highest level of
Kashrus in the baked products in Montreal shall certainly earn us a part in the
blessing, too.